While 3D printers were once huge, pricey devices reserved for the
industrial elite, they have lately been adapted to fit on your
desktop at home.

All over the world, hobbyist manufacturers are extruding plastic
objects for prototyping or simply for fun.

But how important is 3D printing? And should you even care about
it?

If you're a tinkerer or DIY-er, then you should care a lot. The
reasons here are obvious – having a 3D printer and being
well-versed in how to use it gives you another tool in your belt
to tackle problems and create new objects. Did a small and
specifically-shaped piece of plastic break in your coffee
machine? Now you can replace it in an afternoon without having to
call the manufacturer.

All these facts send a strong message –– there is a large
community that will always be paying attention to 3D printing.

Regardless of its relevance, people will still decry it.
Criticisms will include "Who is this for?" and "The technology
isn't good enough to become relevant." If you're mostly apathetic
to the DIY approach, it's fine not to care about the field. Just
be open to the idea that you might change your mind down the
road.

We asked a few big shots in the 3D printing space about why
normal people like you should care about the trend.

Here's what they had to say:

Matt Griffin of Adafruit
told us about the Cricut
vinyl cutter, a device that's a huge hit in the scrapbooking
world. The scrapbooking community might not exactly be known for
its cutting edge technology, but the Cricut is a very specialized
tool that became of interest to people who wouldn't consider
themselves technologically focused at all. With a little bit of
focus, they were able to get amazing results out of the device.

The analogy here is clear –– just because something is a
specialized or seemingly complicated device doesn't mean it won't
become important or useful to you in the future. In fact, 3D
printers are already important in the present.

Luke Winston of Formlabs told
us that, "Most products we use today involve 3D printing in some
way during the design cycle. Shoes, electronics, and even
building designs make use of it." Even if you've never touched a
3D printer, you've touched an object that was made possible
because of one.

Bre Pettis of MakerBot
emphasizes that you don't need to be an engineer to derive value
from 3D printing. He told us that "ordinary people are using
MakerBots to make the things they need instead of going the
consumerism route. This means you get what you want by either
designing it, or downloading it from Thingiverse and then making
it when and where you need it!"

Peter Weijmarshausen, co-founder and CEO of 3D printing company Shapeways,
told us to "[i]magine a world in which you can get exactly what
you want, and not what is just available...Imagine if you only
made what you need, or imagine if you are a designer and could
bring your product to market in days, not years. Imagine products
that can all be made locally. 3D printing is relevant for
everyone, regardless of your technological background."